15 Facts About Khadaffy Janjalani

Khadaffy Abubakar Janjalani was a Filipino Islamist militant who was the leader of the Moro militant group known as Abu Sayyaf and the leader of one of its factions.

Khadaffy Janjalani was a citizen of the Philippines, of Tau Sug and Ilonggo parentage, and spoke both Tausug and Tagalog, as well as some Arabic.

Khadaffy Janjalani allegedly served as the Amir or spiritual leader of Abu Sayyaf Group, which allegedly took the foreign nationals hostage.

On December 27,2006, the Philippine military reported that what appeared to be Khadaffy Janjalani's remains had been recovered near Patikul, on Sulu Island in the southern Philippines, and that DNA tests had been ordered to confirm the discovery.

Khadafi Abubakar Khadaffy Janjalani was born in 1975 in Isabela City, currently one of the smallest 4th income class cities of the Philippines.

At some point in the early 1990s, the younger brother Khadaffy Janjalani had joined Abu Sayyaf, as a teenager, and was eventually imprisoned by the Philippines government.

In 1995,20-year-old Khadaffy Janjalani escaped from Camp Crame in Manila along with another member named Jovenal Bruno.

On December 18,1998, the older brother Abdurajik Khadaffy Janjalani was killed in a firefight with the Philippine National Police on Basilan island.

Khadaffy Janjalani is thought to have been about age 39 at the time of his death.

The 23-year-old Khadaffy Janjalani then took power of one of Abu Sayyaf's factions in an internecine struggle.

Khadaffy Janjalani then worked to consolidate his power within Abu Sayyaf, causing the group to appear inactive for a period.

The group's motive for kidnapping became more financial and less religious during the period of Khadaffy Janjalani's leadership, according to locals in the areas associated with Abu Sayyaf.

Khadaffy Janjalani was indicted in the United States for his alleged involvement in terrorist acts, including hostage taking by Abu Sayyaf and murder, against United States nationals and other foreign nationals in and around the Republic of the Philippines.

Consequently, on February 24,2006, Khadaffy Janjalani was among six fugitives in the second and most recent group of indicted fugitives to be added to the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list along with two fellow members of Abu Sayyaf, Isnilon Totoni Hapilon and Jainal Antel Sali, Jr.

News organizations in the Philippines came out with reports on December 26,2006, about a body being dug-up in the area where Khadaffy Janjalani was known to be at large.